The Wedding
by Mirai Trunks
Summary: A young Jedi Knight attends the wedding of his best friend, and one time love interest. Disastrous events follow...
1. The Wedding

"I do."

"I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."

And that was it. Any chance Jhotan ever had at ending up with the girl he had loved for so long vanished with the meeting of two pairs of lips. _Ah well_, he thought, _it is finally time to move on_. Jhotan sighed quietly.

Shortly, at the party celebrating the new marriage, Jhotan entered the banquet hall, his dark Jedi cloak flowing around him. The newly wedded couple sat together on a dais that faced the dance floor, making small talk with guests.

The young Jedi Knight was a 19-year-old human, stood a few inches under six-feet-tall, had jet-black hair, which was always moderately neat, and possessed a slender, muscular frame without any brawn bulging into visibility. He had known the bride, Avot, since the two had been toddlers. Overtime, they grew to be great friends. However, he had had little contact with her after he had been taken to the Jedi Praxeum for testing. His Force abilities were quite strong, and he was immediately accepted. Years later, Jhotan was taken as an apprentice by Jedi Master Kenth Hamner.

Jhotan and Avot crossed paths many times when both had matured into teenagers, and her great beauty had struck Jhotan. He eventually confessed his feelings to her, but to no avail. They remained friends, but she never became interested in anything more than that. She continued having relationships, which only caused envy within Jhotan. He bided his time however, waiting for when she would, one day, love him as he did her. That, of course, never happened. Recently, Jhotan had passed the necessary trials and was given the rank of a full Jedi Knight. He had also constructed his second lightsaber, which was far more sophisticated than his old weapon. He had both on his person at the present time.

Jhotan began to approach the dais to congratulate the newlyweds. The throng of people on the dance floor parted in two to allow his passage. He ascended the steps to reach the uppermost portion of the platform. Upon reaching his destination, he lowered to one knee. His hand hovered to his belt and grasped his first lightsaber. Jhotan offered it to Avot's husband, the shining handle resting on both palms.

"This is a sign of my submission to you, I relinquish my love for Avot. You are obviously far superior to me to have been able to capture the affections of, and to have married such a wonderful young lady."

"Th-thanks," Avot's husband Nem replied in a somewhat uninterested tone.

"May the Force be with you, always," Jhotan smiled tenderly and glanced at Avot. She smiled back.

"Thank you," she whispered. Jhotan rose to his feet and descended to the dance floor. He headed toward the exit. A battle cry sounded behind him. Jhotan whirled around to face the source of the noise. Nem ran down the stairs toward him, with his new orange-bladed lightsaber ignited and held high over his head. As he was almost upon him, Jhotan reached to the small of his back and pulled out his newly crafted lightsaber. Its green-blue blade quickly met that of his adversary. Jhotan quickly jumped back out of reach, and slid out of his cloak.

"What is _wrong _with you!?" He demanded, his voice tense.

"You must _die_!" Nem snarled.

"_What_?! Are you _that _thickheaded? It's over, I don't love her anymore!" Nem's reply came in actions, not words, as he sprung toward Jhotan. He quickly parried the blow off to one side. Nem rotated on his heel and slashed with a backhanded blow. Jhotan twisted to avoid the blow, and stepped backward.

They continued battling for several minutes. It was quite obvious Nem was the aggressor and Jhotan was doing his best to defend and never attack. Avot stood silently on the dais, looking on in horror at her husband's actions. She had never before seen this side of the man she loved. Jhotan seemed to be tiring while Nem suddenly increased his assaults with renewed vigor. Jhotan distanced himself to catch his breath.

"You are well trained in the Jedi arts," he panted.

"Well, what do you expect, _Jedi_?" He sneered, emphasizing the last word with great contempt. They came together again, weapons blazing. Jhotan blocked an attack and parried the interlocked blades to one side. Nem quickly elbowed him on the side of the head, hard. Jhotan spun around. Searing energy blade met flesh. Avot shrieked in terror.

Jhotan's eyes widened, and his mouth dropped open. The orange beam had impaled him through the left side of his abdomen, adjacent to his navel. Jhotan let out several quick gasps as he felt the ends of a few ribs dissolving. His arms were splayed out at his sides, his own weapon still lit within his waning grip. Tears began streaming down his face. Avot sobbed quietly, her mouth and nose covered by her hands. Never in her wildest dreams had she thought such a thing could happen to one of her closest friends. Teardrops trickled over her hands. Nem's face was split by broad, evil smile. An idea suddenly occurred to Jhotan. He blinked several times and looked toward Avot.

"I-I'm…" he grimaced from the burning pain. "I'm so s-sorry, Avot…" A puzzled look came over her face.

"Huh!?" Nem grunted. Jhotan's motions were faster than the eye could follow. His left knee came up and connected with Nem's sword hand. The weapon quickly deactivated. Jhotan made a complete turn and stepped back on his right foot. He swung downward, amputating Nem's right hand, which still grasped the saber. Pain wracked through the young Jedi's body. Nem howled, fell to his knees, and clutched the stump at the end of his wrist. Jhotan glanced toward Avot again.

"S-s-orry…" he groaned meekly. His legs gave out under him and he collapsed in a heap. Avot leaped from the dais and ran to his side.

"Jhotan!" She kneeled beside him and cradled his head. They looked into one another's eyes. The anguished, weak look on his face alarmed her greatly. His body suddenly slacked in her arms. "No! Jhotan! Don't leave me…!"

THE END?


	2. The Mission

Jhotan stretched out with the Force. His surroundings were wholly unfamiliar to him. He dared not open his eyes for fear of any damage that may be caused by the liquid he was submerged in. He inhaled sharply through his breath mask as he felt a familiar presence approach him. It was _her_. Avot. Suddenly, he realized where he was, or more specifically, what he was in. He reached out with both his arms and felt the roundness of the tube that contained him. _Yeah, definitely a bacta tank_, he thought. _So I'm not dead after all…_ He opened his eyes slowly. The sight that filled his field of vision was blurred by the blue tinted liquid of the receptacle. He could, however, make out the form that belonged to Avot.

He craned his neck back to glance around as a low rumble filled the chamber. The cover had been removed and a small crane was being lowered toward him. It hooked into the harness around his shoulders and lifted him out of the bacta. The crane gently lowered him to the ground and he leaned on a nearby examination table for support. It had been a while since he had been on his feet, and his muscles had weakened in the intervening time. A towel was draped over his shoulders, and he finally noticed that all he wore was a pair of standard issue medical briefs. A glimmer from Avot's shoulder length golden-blond hair caught his eye, and he turned to face her.

"Avi…" he stammered.

"Jho…" she answered in the same tone. A nearby 2-1B droid tapped the pink area on his side where he had been punctured with the lightsaber. It tingled and the air came rushing out of his lungs as he tensed from the feeling.

"_Don't do that_," Jhotan hissed.

"You should be grateful, Jedi Jhotan," the droid began in its metallic voice. "If not for the quick actions of this young woman, the med-team would not have reached you in time." Avot smiled warmly. Jhotan smiled back. "As you know," the droid's torso rotated ninety degrees. It raised a pincer-like hand and pointed to a bio-scan on the wall. "A lightsaber cauterizes as it cuts, and therefore, your wound was closed when they arrived. However, in order for you to receive proper bacta treatment, the wound was reopened in one several hour-long procedure," the droid lowered its arm. "Fortunately for you, no major organs were damaged in any severe manner. The charred tissue and bone were carefully scraped away by our expert team of surgeons in preparation for your bacta immersion." 2-1B rotated back to face them. "Quite frankly, sir, you are very lucky to be standing here today."

"I hadn't realized…" he trailed off. 2-1B handed him a white robe and he slipped it on.

"What is it Jho?"

"I hadn't realized how close I was to…" he looked into her eyes. "I mean, I felt it was coming, and that's why I started crying - I didn't want to leave you… but, I never thought I really could have…" They both knew it was not necessary to mention the fate he had avoided.

"You still love me don't you…?" Avot raised her eyebrows. He looked down at his feet for a moment. When he lifted his head, his cheeks were blushing.

"I… uh…"

"If you do not mind, I must excuse myself to check on a patient in the next room," the medical droid clunked noisily out the door.

"Yeah, I guess so," he finished after the door had glided shut again. He paused for a moment, thinking. "Yes. But I knew it wouldn't be proper to continue harboring affection of such a manner for a married woman. It's just not right - not Jedi-like." The door opened with a whoosh, and Jhotan's former mentor entered.

"Master!" His eyes lit up. Jhotan also welcomed the break in the awkward moment.

"I came as soon as I could, Jhotan. I was stationed on patrol to monitor some smuggling activity near Tatooine, so it took some time to arrive," Kenth Hamner put a hand on his old apprentice's shoulder. "It gladdens my heart to know you are well." He observed Avot standing next to him. "Sorry Avot. I didn't realize you two were-"

"Quite all right, Master Hamner," she suddenly took on an air of politeness. "We were just-"

"-Talking," Jhotan concluded for her. Hamner furrowed his brow and looked from one to the other.

"What concerns me, however, is that a non-Jedi had the ability and the talent with a lightsaber to get the better of you," his tone was stern. "Not to boast of my training in the methods of combat, but, it is odd that some random person," he glanced at Avot. "Sorry. That an average person would be able to defeat a fully trained Jedi."

"I have to agree on that one," Jhotan crossed his arms and rested his chin on his thumb.

"However, I have some of our tech guys researching into Nem's past. We should know _something _shortly." The venerable Jedi Master ran a hand over his close-cropped brown hair and stared at the bio-scan on the monitor. Jhotan became distracted as he looked at Avot's beautiful facial features. She noticed his gaze, and raised an eyebrow in question. Swallowing hard, he laughed nervously.

"I… uh…"

"Sith spit, that must have hurt, Jhotan," Hamner winced. "Anyway," he whirled around. "I must be going. It's good to see my old Padawan back on his feet," he slapped him on the back. "If you need anything my comlink's on, I'll be around for a few days before I head back toward Tatooine."

"Bye Master." Avot waved. Kenth left the room, his robe flowing around him.

"Now where were we?" Avot smiled wryly.

"Yeah, I was just saying…"

"Oh, and kids?" The Jedi Master stuck his head back into the room. "You'd better behave." The two friends burst out laughing after Hamner was safely down the hall.

"I can't believe he thought we were-"

"Yeah, I mean, _come on_!" Avot put a hand on her cheek.

"I heard that!" Came the reply from down the hall.

**3 Years Later…**

The Jedi technicians never found anything about the past Avot's husband. Shortly after the "accident" at the wedding, Nem mysteriously disappeared from his hospital bed without a trace. All the medical equipment that had been hooked into his body was found strewn across his bed. Even the bacta jar that had encased the stump on his arm was lying on the floor. The Coruscant security force found no evidence of struggle of any sort, and even the Jedi brought in to investigate failed to mentally read anything off of objects in the room. The case of his sudden vanishing remained open.

Despite the fact that her husband had gone missing, and was therefore not present at the court session, the New Republic Judicial Court issued a certificate of annulment to Avot, certifying that their union never became official. Although she may truly have felt something for Jhotan at the time, she neglected to mention it, and the two went their separate ways. Oddly enough, Avot was discovered to have traces of Force ability and was often employed by Jedi Master Luke Skywalker as a messenger, spy, and reconnaissance agent. Due to the secret nature of her assignments, she was never allowed to make contact with anyone, the exceptions being Skywalker and other highly esteemed Masters such as Mara Jade Skywalker and Kenth Hamner. One day, on a particularly strange mission to a university on Corellia, she, too vanished without a trace. Without much choice, Master Skywalker turned to the only Jedi he knew that could possibly locate her.

"Something's wrong with Avot, I can feel it already," Jhotan shifted the position of his legs nervously in front of his chair. Across the meeting table sat Skywalker, Kam Solusar and Hamner.

"That may be the case, Jhotan, but you have no idea what the mission was about," Solusar narrowed his gaze. "Allow us to elaborate."

"Jhotan, Avot was on a covert operation at the Fel University on Corellia," Hamner began.

"We had received reports of strange Force-activity taking place on the university campus. Some said that the odd occurrences were caused by a group of students who unknowingly tampered with the Dark Side of the Force," Skywalker knitted his fingers.

"Now, please consider this, there are no Jedi stationed at that university, Corran Horn had recently been visiting on Corellia and felt flashes of Dark Side energy, but he felt they were too weak and too inconsistent to have been any real threat," Solusar continued.

"But Avot's disappearance cannot be ignored. Especially if we consider the fact that her would-be husband vanished in nearly the same fashion almost 3 years ago," Hamner paused, letting Jhotan take it all in. "And _that _is why you must be the one to go find out what has happened to her. Because you are the only one who's Force-attuned to her energy, and because you are the only one to have actually encountered Nem in combat, so you know what you could potentially have to deal with."

"I see…" Jhotan raised his hand to his chain, deep in thought.

"Should the need arise, a Jedi team will be sent to extract you and hopefully, Avot from the University. The extraction team has been instructed to call for additional Jedi support, if need be. Hopefully, we will be able to keep everything nice and quiet, without having to resort to the use of force," Kam concluded.

"Any questions, Jhotan?" Skywalker asked.

"None." Jhotan need not have replied, for the burning determination easily visible in his eyes proclaimed his desire to start the mission.


	3. The Conclusion

"Srukin, Jhotan Srukin," the young Jedi placed his hand on the counter. The secretary behind the desk tapped away at the computer console before her. Jhotan stood in the registration area of the Fel University campus on Corellia. Since stealth was critical to his current mission, he was registering as a student for the next semester. Classes were scheduled to begin several days later, which should give him some time to snoop around before having to fulfill his role as a student at the university.

"Ah yes, here we are," she said without looking up from the data pad screen. Her fingers flew across the keyboard. Jhotan grew impatient, allowing his gaze to wonder around the room. The registration office was in a two-story building large enough to hold several hundred students. A café was part of the back wall, and several students were gathered in tables near there, talking.

Jhotan switched his duffle bag to his other shoulder. The bag contained his Jedi robes as well as a few other assorted items of clothing. He currently wore loose black pants with a grey tunic that was untucked to fit in with the typical image of a college student. A young man walked by quickly, looking like he was in a hurry to get somewhere. Jhotan followed him with his eyes for a moment. There was something unusual about the guy, but he could not think of what.

"Ok, Mr. Srukin, you are boarding in dorm building Kresh, room 219. Here are your keys and your class schedule," she placed the items on the counter. He grabbed them, responded with a polite thank you, and began walking away.

"Do you need directions, sir?" She half-shouted across the room.

"Nah, I think I can find it," he replied over his shoulder, continuing out the exit.

It did not take him long to find his dorm, for the building loomed overhead as soon as he exited the "Center" as the building he had just left was known.

"I can't believe she thought I need directions!" Jhotan exclaimed to no one in particular. A few people stared at him, looking for the sound of the outburst. Laughing nervously, he decided to keep quiet. A short time later, he was unpacking in his room. He lightly tapped the specially extended pocket on his right thigh. It was there that he concealed his lightsaber. The very same weapon he had used when he had encountered Nem at his and Avot's wedding.

"I _will _find her," he murmured quietly.

"Find who?" Someone asked from the doorway. Jhotan's head whipped upward toward the source of the voice. A young woman stood just inside his door, which he had neglected to lock, or close well for that matter. She was at least several inches shorter than Jhotan, with closely cropped black hair gelled standing up, and blue highlights at the ends of the spikes.

"Um, no one," he looked down for a moment. "And you are?" His voiced was suddenly stern and inquisitive. She leaned against the wall, setting her feet in a wide stance in front of her. It was then Jhotan noticed her immeasurably tight maroon slacks. Using a Jedi concentration technique Jhotan easily restrained his focus on her face and her face alone.

"Oh, sorry. I'm Ver Jiek. I live in the room directly above this one," she extended her hand. Jhotan shook it lightly.

"Jhotan Srukin. Is it normal for the girls to wander around on the guys' floor?" He flashed a wry smile.

"I'm just checking out the prospective selection of guys, if you don't mind," she smiled back at him in the same exact manner. He was mildly surprised, but didn't show it.

"Not at all, I just don't see what you're trying to find in _this _particular room." He stood up from his seated position on his bed. Jhotan become aware of how much taller he was than her. This new predicament forced her to crane her neck back to meet his gaze.

"Modest too," she paused a moment to think. "Oh right, I guess you're taken. You did mention a 'her' one moment ago," Ver crossed her arms over her chest.

"Not exactly. But something along those lines, yes," his mind flashed to Avot, who was somewhere on this campus, possibly being tortured or harmed in some other way. He blinked several times to clear his mind.

"Anyway," she broke the awkward silence. "I guess I'll be going. I'll be around, if you want to have dinner or something," Ver grinned sheepishly. She slunk from the room, walking down the hall, a spring in her step.

"Or something," he said, mimicking her voice. "Yeah right." But there was something odd about her. Just like that guy from the café, earlier. His brow furrowed, his eyes closed, Jhotan lie back on his bed, thinking deeply.

Unexpectedly, Jhotan had given in to Ver's wily charms and agreed to take her to dinner. He began to regret this decision as he slowly ground a piece of nerf steak between his teeth.

"…So yeah, I've been chattering my head off for an hour now," she paused to change the position of her crossed legs. "Why don't you tell me a bit about yourself?" She flashed a smile. Jhotan stopped chewing and swallowed hard.

"I uh," he struggled to think. _Ok, I've got to stay away from anything Jedi_. "I'm from Coruscant. I went to a private academy for schooling… I guess I've had a pretty boring life," _yeah right_ he added privately.

"Let's get to the chase. Who was this girl you were talking about earlier?" Placing her elbows on the table, Ver leaned forward. Jhotan felt her warm breath on his face, and decided this was a little too close. He sat back in his chair and raised an eyebrow.

"Why the sudden interest?" He asked with a sly look. _Good, goad her on, maybe she knows something._

"Oh, I dunno…" She leaned closer again

_This is utterly childish_. Jhotan returned her sheepish grin. _Wait, there's something more to this_. The grin vanished.

"What, what is it?" She questioned.

_There! That flash… of darkness_.

"What?"

"I've gotta go… see you around," he tossed a 50-cred chip onto the table and walked off. _I should've given her a 20_, he thought. _At least I'm one step closer to finding Avot_.

Recently, Jhotan had begun noticing an increasing amount of the students scurrying about similar in manner to the womp-rat of Tatooine. Young men and women literally ran across campus in a very open and unusual manner.

_They _were onto him. Three days had passed, and Jhotan's snooping about had procured no clues. The only thing apparent was the somewhat odd manner many of the students carried themselves, Ver Jiek included. Jhotan suspected that she and the others were involved with the reported Dark Side activity present on the Fel University campus.

At the present time, Jhotan was taking a leisurely stroll about the campus. It was nearing dusk, and the sun had begun to set. A cold feeling enveloped Jhotan, and he tapped the lightsaber in his pocket for reassurance. A dry stick snapped behind him, and Jhotan whirled around.

"_Jedi…_" Ver hissed. She began to reach for something behind her, but Jhotan quickly Force-pushed her into a nearby tree. The object tumbled out of her grasp and onto the ground. Leaning back on his left foot, he swung his right leg upward, pressing the sole of his boot into her throat. She responded by swinging her own foot up between his legs. Jhotan deftly caught it, and twisted the ankle hard. An audible series of cracks were heard and a small whimper escaped her lips. Jhotan called the fallen object to his hand with the Force. It was a lightsaber. Igniting the weapon, he was not surprised to see a glimmering red blade. Disengaging the weapon, he turned to his wounded adversary.

"Where's Avot, _Sith_?"

"You'll never see her again," she sneered.

"You're wrong," his gaze burned into her, and he pressed his boot harder into her throat.

"She _is _wrong." Jhotan whirled around, releasing his captive. Ver slumped to the ground, gasping. A large group of robed, hooded figures had appeared out of nowhere. They all wore dark brown robes, while the leader, the one who spoke, wore a robe of the pure black. He nodded to the others, and the great multitude formed a ring around Jhotan and Ver.

"Bring her forward," he again gestured with a nod. Jhotan's breathing stopped. Two of the robed figures gently placed Avot onto the ground. She appeared to be unconscious and her skin had a gray pallor to it. Her once golden hair had dulled somewhat. Jhotan looked beyond these minor grievances, and was relieved to notice the soft rise and fall of her chest. The left side of his mouth began to curve into a faint smile. Presently, he began to chuckle. Soon, the chuckle gave way to an all-out laugh.

"What is wrong with him?!" Ver exclaimed. The hooded visage of the leader angled upon the young Jedi. Jhotan let the laugh fade away. He suddenly threw both arms outward at his sides. Four of the hooded figures were flung high into the air. They landed thirty feet away, with a series of sickening thuds. They did not get up.

"Your precious Jedi magic fails to impress me, young one," the leader snarled.

"Is that so?" Jhotan held out a hand, and his lightsaber flew from his pocket. The pommel hit his palm with a satisfying _thwack_. The green-blue blade ignited in a flash. Jhotan stood poised, the Force flowing around him. The black robed leader nodded yet again, and a figure in a black robe of a different cut walked forward. This robe exposed the warrior's muscled arms, but kept his face concealed in a veil of shadow. The circle of robed beings widened in order to offer a larger arena for the battle that was about to take place. Ver was carried off to the sidelines, where she could not be further injured. Jhotan's opponent reached toward his belt and extracted his own lightsaber. Jhotan was hardly amused when he engaged the fiery red blade of energy.

"Prepare to die, _Jedi_," the leader growled. Jhotan's opponent launched himself in a charging attack. Jhotan parried several slashes, then sidestepped, leaving his right foreleg extended. As his opponent tripped over the exposed limb, Jhotan brought the tip of his lightsaber handle into contact with the other's lower spine. He crashed to the ground like a ton of bricks. The warrior rose to a crouching position, and rolled forward. Jhotan sidestepped, and his opponent sprang into a lunge at Jhotan's midsection.

_Not this again_, Jhotan thought, as the searing red blade missed his old battle scar by mere inches. Rotating on the heel of his boot, Jhotan elbowed the warrior in the back of the head. Slowly approaching his opponent, Jhotan held his saber outward, tip pointed diagonally toward the sky. In an explosion of speed, the warrior bowled into Jhotan, knocking him back. Jhotan tried to bring his saber down to parry, but the warrior knocked his sword hand aside and planted a large, booted foot in Jhotan's torso. The wind left Jhotan's lithe frame in a whoosh. The warrior was suddenly behind him, and kneed Jhotan in the back. Jhotan groaned, and stumbled forward. The unrelenting warrior roundhoused the back of Jhotan's neck without missing a beat. This pitched Jhotan to the ground in a heap. He lay there, breathing hard. Jhotan brought up his blade to block a sudden strike at his left temple, but the warrior backhanded him to the ground again. Jhotan's lightsaber disengaged and skidded from his grasp several feet away. Battered and bloodied, Jhotan stole a glance at Avot.

_I've failed you, my love_. A burning rage filled the young Jedi. _No, I can't…must not…_ Jhotan's head suddenly jerked up, his face contorted into a snarl. Blue lightning flew from his fingertips and blazed over the body of his opponent. The surge of Dark Side energy allowed Jhotan to stand. Unexpectedly, the warrior shook off the latest volley, and rose to his feet. He held out one hand, with fingers splayed. Intense blue lighting shot forth and engulfed Jhotan, from head to toe. He collapsed on the ground, writhing in utter agony. The lightning paused for a moment, and the leader walked up, his boots next to Jhotan's head.

"You must now realize the foolishness of your ways, Jedi. But I've had enough entertainment for today, it is time to put you out of your pathetic misery." The warrior approached Jhotan, ready to make the killing blow. A glowing blade of red energy pierced the warrior's chest and exited between his shoulder blades. The Sith had obviously forgotten about the confiscated weapon from Ver. The fallen warrior slumped to the ground. The leader's hand jerked, and the lightsaber flew from Jhotan's grasp, and powered down.

"It seems as though I will have to invoke the talents of our execution squad, this should be excellent." The circle of robed figures parted, and a small group of ten moved into the middle. They, in turn, encircled Jhotan as he kneeled on the ground, continuing to breath hard.

_This time, I have failed… I can't believe it_. Any and all anger fled Jhotan's heart. He began to prepare himself for the inevitable, as Master Skywalker once said the legendary Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi had done prior to being struck down by Darth Vader. Jhotan looked from hidden face to hidden face. Suddenly, he noticed one of the executioners, a female, had her lower face exposed, and she _smiled_. It wasn't an evil smile, or a smile of satisfaction. Jhotan's brow furrowed. She continued to smile at him.

_No way… _Jhotan though. Each member of the death squad spun around to face the surround crowd in unison. Simultaneously, they reached inside their cloaks to retrieve their lightsabers. In a whirl of cloaks, they held out the disengaged weapons before them. In a flash, the weapons were ignited. Surprisingly, the blades revealed a rainbow of colors: varying shades of blue, green, orange, pink, purple, and yellow glowed brightly. A grin split Jhotan's face. A collective gasp was released by the shocked Sith. The humming sound of igniting lightsabers was heard nearby. Jhotan looked to his right. Atop a one-story building stood several dozen Jedi, their weapons glowed as a rainbow. More humming was heard to Jhotan's left. More Jedi, their weapons ablaze, appeared from behind a series of columns. The group of Sith were effectively boxed in. A literal sea of red blades ignited. The Jedi in the center of the group gave the signal and dove into the crowd, sabers flashing. The Jedi atop the building somersaulted to the ground and charged forward the same moment their brethren on the other side began their attack.

Jhotan scrambled over to Avot and called his saber to his hand. To weak to fight, he crouched next to her prone body, ready to defend her life at all costs. One particular Jedi fought her way through the melee and reached Jhotan and Avot. It was the Jedi who had smiled to Jhotan. He recognized her immediately. It was Ina-sar, Avot's younger sister. She had trained under Cilgal, the Mon Calamari Jedi healer, but was also skilled with a lightsaber. She smiled again, and bent over her elder sister to check her vitals. Jhotan sprang to his feet to cover them.

"She's fine, Jhotan. Knocked out, with a few minor scrapes, and a little malnourished, but she's fine," she reached to the med-pack on her belt and began spreading out her first-aid kit.

"That's good to hear, Ina-sar!" he called over his shoulder. He Force-pushed a Sith into the branches of the nearby tree. A dark object caught his eye, and he saw the leader leaving the battlefield, knocking both Jedi and Sith aside as he went. Ina-sar noticed his unwavering gaze.

"Go, I'll take care of Avot." Jhotan nodded his thanks and raced into the fray as another Jedi replaced him as Ina-sar's cover. Jhotan leaped and landed a kick in the fleeing Sith's back. He rolled into a crouch, and then back flipped to confront Jhotan. The right sleeve of the robe had bunched at his elbow, and a droid replacement fist was visible.

"_You…_" Jhotan trailed off.

"Oh yes," he pulled back his hood, revealing the grim visage of Nem, Avot's would-be husband from three years ago.

"This ends now, Nem."

"Indeed it does, _Jedi_," Nem ignited his blood-red blade. Their blades met, again and again. But Jhotan's strength was waning, and he was sure he could not keep up. He batted Nem's saber to the side, and sprang backward to catch his breath.

"Oh, this all over again. I'm sure you remember how it ended last time," he gestured toward the exact point he had impaled Jhotan three years earlier with his saber. They charged at one another, trading blows in close quarters. Again, Nem elbowed Jhotan to the side of the head. Again, Jhotan spun to avoid the killing blow. And again, the blade seared through Jhotan's side. Jhotan's eyes widened in shock.

"This is the part where you die now," Nem guffawed. Jhotan's gaze returned to normal, and he smiled casually.

"No, your turn this time," Jhotan re-ignited his blade at the very edge of Nem's back, and the blade pierced diagonally through his mid-torso, just below the heart. Nem's mouth dropped open. His blade had gone through Jhotan's side, or so it had seemed. Jhotan had disengaged his saber, and instead of whirling to raise the weapon in defense, rotated his chest ninety degrees, leaving a vast space of loose material in his tunic. This had left Nem wide open. Jhotan stepped away from the beaten Sith, whose weapon plunked to the ground. Nem fell to his knees, glared defiantly at Jhotan, and toppled to the ground.

"I do."

Unlike the scene from three years ago, it was now Jhotan on the wedding platform, alongside his love, Avot. Ina-sar and Cilgal stood by Avot, while Kenth Hamner and Luke Skywalker stood by Jhotan, each had broad grin on their face. Kam Solusar presided over the wedding.

"I now pronounce you Jedi and wife. You may kiss the bride."

They kissed. The crowd, which consisted mainly of Jedi, erupted into cheers. Lightsabers were ignited and raised in salute. Kenth slapped Jhotan on the back playfully, and Ina-sar held her sister's hands, wishing her congratulations. The band started the celebration music. Everyone went to the dance floor, including the newlyweds. Jhotan looked into Avot's eyes.

"After all these years…" he began.

"After all these years…" Avot echoed. Jhotan decided no words existed to express the ineffable feelings that overwhelmed him. He concluded by gently wrapping his arms around his wife. She returned the tender embrace, and they swayed to the music.


End file.
